tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267463002024-03-07T00:05:03.549-05:00with comb & razorI DO THIS FOR MY CULTUREComb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.comBlogger286125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-85619719306305903922012-07-12T14:30:00.001-05:002012-07-12T15:33:44.714-05:00LAGOS DISCO INFERNO IS BACK AGAIN!!!Hello, blog fam... I've had some trouble with my Blogger account so I haven't been able to make any new entries for a while, but if you're connected to me on the myriad other social networks that hold our lives together these days you know that <b>LAGOS DISCO INFERNO</b> is back at <b>ZEBULON</b> this weekend, Saturday July 14... And I am back with it!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2EqPI5lBN00IDr4R5xcKY4bNVn7gjOThEaEhO4CN3RbwZrjJLJujolV7Zkg94u9_uR0mMDDVUmLOXRd79MJALmsL35GsHUf3VBkEg0-XpdQj1fRKznha-Y61oOlAhTFgcIfiNng/s1600/zebulonflyer+7142012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="834" width="533" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2EqPI5lBN00IDr4R5xcKY4bNVn7gjOThEaEhO4CN3RbwZrjJLJujolV7Zkg94u9_uR0mMDDVUmLOXRd79MJALmsL35GsHUf3VBkEg0-XpdQj1fRKznha-Y61oOlAhTFgcIfiNng/s400/zebulonflyer+7142012.jpg" /></a></div>
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Hopefully you will be back with it too, because I'm looking forward to dropping some serious disco and boogie craziness that I need you to hear... And here's a quick little mix to get your mind right until we meet on the dance floor!
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<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F52607880&show_artwork=true"></iframe>
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<br>Zebulon is located on 258 Wythe Avenue just a few steps North of Metropolitan Avenue. Directions can be found <a href="http://zebuloncafeconcert.com/?page_id=704" target="blank"><b>HERE</b></a>.
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See you there!Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-54062988984525385542012-07-02T09:31:00.000-05:002012-07-12T14:34:49.572-05:00Afro-rock. And roll.<a href="http://combrazor.com/files/sounds/afro-jigida.mp3" target="blank"><img border="0" height="500""width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQBA_YE8STb9lMyjT1f5n2KRarfYcGa_-Kf6Hf5Yy63A-eW2keQefE4I-P7triq3QjV0RFaJQopWu0R2oQHUznRXCjfa58RmtdKKNnfAgmOxvf5DKldtWAKqKcpGlTuSwuXOTuQ/s400/CRZR1002_front.jpg" /></a>
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<i>(Cliquez sur l'image)</i>
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July 24th.Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-15640029768842000612012-06-08T10:52:00.001-05:002012-06-08T11:42:06.963-05:00Catch me at LAGOS DISCO INFERNO!!Brothers and sisters, things have been a bit quiet on the Comb & Razor front of late, but believe me--they've stayed cooking in the back!
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<br>It's been well over a year since <i>Brand New Wayo</i> dropped (and what a year it has been!) and a lot of you guys have asked me why there's been no followup… There are reasons for that and we will deal with them soon enough, but more importantly, I am excited to announce that there will be a new Comb & Razor record out next month! (Details to come…)
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<br>But in the meantime, we're getting into another thing that I haven't done in the year since <i>Brand New Wayo,</i> and that is hitting the wheels of steel to spin some hot 'n' heavy choons for my people!
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<br>If you've ever hit attended the Voodoo Funk or Lagos Disco Inferno sessions at <a href-"http://zebuloncafeconcert.com/" target="blank">Zebulon Cafe Concert</a>, scored by my pal <a href="http://voodoofunk.com">Frank</a>, you know that they're some blazing seances of marathon funk! Well, Frank (ever the traveler) is moving on to other things now, and passing the mantle to yours truly…
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<br>So starting on Friday, June 22, 2012, I will be doing my damnedest to fill Frank's formidable shoes with <b>LAGOS DISCO INFERNO AT ZEBULON!</b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlT7LcFzBwC0jG-3Ls7QC6G5qU_xprGlIiz_cVo4r6V2Xbcht-v7uxb6aVAcXe6wyib7SqPgqpzyyLRqy1jF6LTKiQDuCdJIjrheRHCrIaM0eLc955UUzY2DdK6A4-tUQWcCON3g/s1600/flyer-revised+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="834" width="533" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlT7LcFzBwC0jG-3Ls7QC6G5qU_xprGlIiz_cVo4r6V2Xbcht-v7uxb6aVAcXe6wyib7SqPgqpzyyLRqy1jF6LTKiQDuCdJIjrheRHCrIaM0eLc955UUzY2DdK6A4-tUQWcCON3g/s400/flyer-revised+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a>
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<br>Zebulon is located on 258 Wythe Avenue just a few steps North of Metropolitan Avenue. Directions can be found <a href="http://zebuloncafeconcert.com/?page_id=704" target="blank"><b>HERE</b></a>.
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Do be there... You don't want me leave me all lonesome, do you?Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-22532963433080486152012-03-20T14:07:00.001-05:002012-03-20T14:08:23.366-05:00R.I.P Harry Mosco<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VcCN_-6bjqU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />Well, Harry... I guess you can fly now.<br /><br />I'll miss you, brother.Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-71530333420008661572011-08-07T07:23:00.002-05:002011-08-07T07:27:49.436-05:00The Needle Drop reviews Brand New Wayo!The very keen and always entertaining Anthony Fantano weighs in on <b>BRAND NEW WAYO (still on sale everywhere!):</b><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TyynHvJiG_4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />So he said it's "decent"... Could be better, I guess, but it's still better than sucking.<br /><br />Thanks Anthony!Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-31098052061547257412011-07-15T06:00:00.002-05:002011-07-15T13:52:14.700-05:00dubya dubya dubya combrazor dot com/C&R on NPR and other odds and ends<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRptn4-q5Ebp_Sn-P8M61EtAjgR-u4P_IVpT-oQj1BSbzPUOh89fwtcpyqIrDKjHG4SzcJwC6qaJS31JNDK2YgB5U1FtZ558iC5MM0bpUjOFl15s7jIrQT48MGFh39nvc4usL39g/s1600/number+one.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRptn4-q5Ebp_Sn-P8M61EtAjgR-u4P_IVpT-oQj1BSbzPUOh89fwtcpyqIrDKjHG4SzcJwC6qaJS31JNDK2YgB5U1FtZ558iC5MM0bpUjOFl15s7jIrQT48MGFh39nvc4usL39g/s400/number+one.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628045818936537874" /></a><br />I've been largely computer-impaired for the past two weeks, but even before that I had started slacking on the upkeep around here for a while. I've been too busy working <b><i>BRAND NEW WAYO</i> (still on sale everywhere)</b> and I will not rest until every man, woman and child on the face of the earth has a copy!<br /><br />(And I guess this is as good of a time as any to throw a shout to everybody who has shown support so far... I am so grateful for all the positive vibrations. And very special kudos are due to all who stormed Amazon last week and made <b><i>BRAND NEW WAYO</i> the #1 BEST-SELLING AFRICAN ALBUM ON AMAZON.COM!!! (click on image above)*</b> I feel like I should come over and clean all your houses or walk your dogs for you or something. But for now, please just accept my deepest heartfelt thanks.)<br /><br />The whole promotional circuit can be pretty exhausting and, truth be told, kind of monotonous, but it's part of the game and it's got to be done. Anybody can make a record with relative ease (especially these days) but it's working that hustle muscle to win it a spot on the map that separates the boys from the men! What sucks about doing promotion in this brave new social network-centered world is that so much of it ultimately becomes a long series of distractions from the actual production of your work. As such, the second Comb & Razor Sound release that I was hoping to get out by the end of the summer probably won't hit the shelves until October or so. I think it will be worth the wait, though... <br /><br />(Believe me; I know that a lot of my readers are not necessarily into the glossy boogie sound that I chose to spotlight on my first release but have still decided to show support. To them I say, hang in there a little longer; I think the next release might be more to your taste!)<br /><br />I've been doing my little thing, though. I guess many of you may have heard my appearance (alongside the brilliant Gbubemi Amas) on NPR's esteemed <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/07/02/137560034/the-golden-years-of-nigerian-boogie?sc=tw&cc=share" target="blank"><i>All Things Considered</i> </a> program? That, at least, was a joy to do rather than a grind... even though through some freak mischance (and my own boneheadedness) I missed the original scheduled taping of the show, and then while I was trying to reschedule I got the news that Christy Essien-Igbokwe had passed away, which broke my heart in ways I still can't fully verbalize.<br /> <br />But alas, life marches on... and I think you'll agree with me that it's about time I get this blog back in shape. All my recent--and far too infrequent--updates have been about plugging <b><i>BRAND NEW WAYO</i> (still on sale everywhere)</b> but I need to get back to doing what brung ya here in the first place: delivering fresh music on a (semi-)regular basis and blissfully free of charge! As I explained before, my old hosting service expired and we lost all the files that had been posted in the past but I'll try to re-up them on the new one.<br /><br />That reminds me: The sleeve liner of <b><i>BRAND NEW WAYO</i> (still on sale everywhere)</b> and a few other promotional materials (including the <a href="http://youtu.be/qTfZeLk5M1g" target="blank">commercial spot</a>) list the website of Comb & Razor Sound as being dubya dubya dubya combandrazorsound dot com. However, I I'm going to have to ask you all to ignore that.<br /><br />I registered that domain (or thought I did) in a period of protracted sleep deprivation, while scrambling to finish the liner notes and get them off to the printer. After the vinyl hit the market back in January, I went back to start building the CombandRazorSound site to discover that (<a href="http://youtu.be/PzqPOK6RmsE" target="blank">silly me</a>) I had made a typo that resulted in me actually registering a slightly different domain name. And someone else had grabbed CombandRazorSound dot com.<br /><br />Now, I'm assuming that whoever bought that domain name is someone who saw it in the <i>Brand New Wayo</i> liner notes, since that was one of the only places it was published at the time. As such, I'd think they're probably a fan (like Prince, I prefer "friend") of the blog/label. So I'm telling myself that such a "friend" probably went to check out the site, found the domain unoccupied, and secured it for me to prevent it being snatched by predatory domain hijackers.<br /><br />That's what I choose to believe. Because I prefer not to think that such a "friend" would buy the domain name in order to extort me. Because if I thought that was what happened... Well, I would I guess I would tell that "friend" to enjoy the domain and pack a hearty lunch if they're waiting for me to pay up. Because they're going to be waiting for a long time.<br /><br />So. Onward and upward. CombandRazorSound.com is dead and from now on the official site of Comb & Razor Sound is <a href="www.combrazor.com">www.combrazor.com</a>. That URL redirects to this blog for now but in the coming months, a new site will rise from the ashes. (CombRazor is a lot less cumbersome than CombandRazorSound too... Don't know why I adopted that in the first place.)<br /><br />Okay, I've rambled enough for now. Y'all have a good weekend and next week we'll get into some music and other stuff.<br /><br />EDIT: If you are on Facebook, please "like" the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Comb-Razor/216174325086087?sk=wall" target="blank">Comb & Razor page</a>, which replaces the old Comb & Razor Sound group. (I remember mentioning this before, but somehow it didn't show up in the post... Did I delete it by accident? *shrug*)<br /><br /><b>*for like two full hours!!!</b>Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-54742887262625891052011-06-30T13:24:00.003-05:002011-06-30T13:52:21.186-05:00RIP Christy Essien-Igbokwe (1960-2011)I just got in to the office after a morning misadventure of comically tragic proportions (more on that later). I opened my email and this was the very first news I got.<br /><br />I'm shaking so much now I can barely type.<br /><br />I'll talk about this later.<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FDrApu9APBk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-73830263360587278282011-05-30T09:44:00.000-05:002011-05-31T08:44:12.621-05:00Last Saturday night at Zebulon... (updated with download links... AND VIDEO!!)<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5yqwbBr9r5o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />...was the business!<br /><br />The turnout was great, the energy was through the roof and the music (if I may say so, myself) was firing on all cylinders! The interesting thing to me with playing this Nigerian boogie and disco stuff to crowds is how fresh and new it is to so many people... A lot of times, the crowd would stop dancing to applaud at the end of a record! Thanks to everybody who showed up and showed love! And for everybody else who wasn't there... you missed out on a sweaty, jam-packed, ol'-fashioned, get-down good time... but no worries: hopefully you'll make it next time!<br /><br />On Friday night, Frank and I paid a visit to WNYU to do a tequila-fueled spot on the <i>A Downtown Affair</i> radio show with Alex and Mike.<br /><br />Check it out here:<br /><br /><a href="http://wnyu.org/2011-05-20_adowntownaffair" target="blank">A Downtown Affair Part 1</a><br /><a href="http://wnyu.org/2011-05-21_adowntownaffair" target="blank">A Downtown Affair Part 2</a><br /><br /><b>BRAND NEW WAYO in stores... GET YOUR COPY NOW!!! ... BRAND NEW WAYO in stores... GET YOUR COPY NOW!!! ... BRAND NEW WAYO in stores... GET YOUR COPY NOW!!! ... BRAND NEW WAYO in stores... GET YOUR COPY NOW!!! ... BRAND NEW WAYO in stores... GET YOUR COPY NOW!!!</b><br /><br /><i>phew... Promoting is hard work!</i><br /><br /><b>UPDATE (5/29/11):</b> If you want to download the FULL show (the two streaming links above offer a slightly abridged version), then get thee to the incredible <a href="http://letsgetserious.net/radio/uchenna-and-frank/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=uchenna-and-frank" target="blank"><b>LET'S GET SERIOUS</b></a> site... which by the way offers hours of good listening by way of archived <i>A Downtown Affair</i> shows.<br /><br />(I'm probably going to update this post yet again tomorrow... I'm into recycling!)<br /><br /><b>UPDATE (5/30/11):</b> Okay, this is the last update on this post. I had to add some video from the night, captured courtesy of the awesome Aja & Fre! Dig those hallucigenic video projections... Frank created those and they drove the crowd into a frenzy!Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-43797546947415773392011-05-30T09:05:00.006-05:002011-05-30T09:05:00.227-05:00Brand New Wayo, ça dechire en France!<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F16023217"></param> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F16023217" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/combrazor/brand-new-wayo">pub radio de BNW</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/combrazor">combrazor</a></span> <br /><br /><br /><b>BRAND NEW WAYO est deja dans les bacs et les bons points de vente en ligne... disponible en CD et double vinyle! ACHETEZ VOTRE COPIE AUJOURD'HUI!!!</b><br /><br />(Merci à <a href="http://www.differ-ant.fr/" target="blank">Differ-ant</a>)Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-617950811713320392011-05-18T15:22:00.020-05:002011-05-18T22:28:43.273-05:00Believe the hype: BRAND NEW WAYO out NOW/Launch party this Saturday!So, as I was saying...<br /><br />(or as I meant to be saying <i>yesterday</i> but didn't get a chance to come back to it)<br /><br />...I had to insert a break and start this up as a new post so that you all can share this on your social networks without forcing people to slog through my emo rambling about why I took a break from blogging. So I should get right to the point, yes?<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qTfZeLk5M1g" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" width="425"></iframe><br /><br /><b>Yes!</b> The first release from Comb & Razor Sound, <b>BRAND NEW WAYO: FUNK, FAST TIMES AND NIGERIAN BOOGIE BADNESS 1979-1983,</b> is out everywhere!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZrfTIOnbi22WOqG00FvaJp-ce5FrOjxAhBphUJ04ox4GXfQoIEResMDUbHFvHEtcf7JZc2e3D3DPMzgxM9GSWUu3PGvVbDXzhH2zLxb-Xhp36cspOqYR1LsJWc8sl08GK5I0Pg/s1600/bnw.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZrfTIOnbi22WOqG00FvaJp-ce5FrOjxAhBphUJ04ox4GXfQoIEResMDUbHFvHEtcf7JZc2e3D3DPMzgxM9GSWUu3PGvVbDXzhH2zLxb-Xhp36cspOqYR1LsJWc8sl08GK5I0Pg/s400/bnw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607763628019783154" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><i>uhhhh... Don't bother going to www.combandrazor.com just yet, though... There's nothing there right now, but it's coming soon!</i><br /><br />Alright, people... what else do I have to say? Is there any point in saying anything else at all since I <i>know</i> you've already stopped reading this, having rushed out of the house to your local record emporium to cop it? Or opened up a new browser window to visit <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brand-New-Wayo-Nigerian-1979-1983/dp/B004Q72LOQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1305767007&sr=8-1" target="blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.dustygroove.com/item.php?id=qchd9vrntt&ref=browse.php&refQ=incl_oos%3D1%26amp%3Bincl_cs%3D1%26amp%3Bkwfilter%3Dbrand%2Bnew%2Bwayo" target="blank">Dusty Groove</a>, <a href="http://www.soundsoftheuniverse.com/releases/?id=22383" target="blank">Sounds of the Universe</a>, <a href="http://www.turntablelab.com/vinyl/147/244/88496.html" target="blank">Turntable Lab</a>, <a href="http://www.juno.co.uk/ppps/products/423824-01.htm" target="blank">Juno</a>, <a href="http://www.tower.com/brand-new-wayo-funk-fast-times-nigerian-boogie-v-a-cd/wapi/117326344" target="blank">Tower</a>, <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Brand+New+Wayo%3A+Funk%2C+Fast+Times+%26+Nigerian...+-+Various+-+CD/19250066.p?id=2216089&skuId=19250066&st=brand%20new%20wayo&lp=1&cp=1" target="blank">Best Buy</a>, <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Brand+New+Wayo%3A+Funk%2C+Fast+Times+%26+Nigerian...+-+Various+-+CD/19250066.p?id=2216089&skuId=19250066&st=brand%20new%20wayo&lp=1&cp=1" target="blank">Light in the Attic</a>, <a href="http://www.rushhour.nl/distribution_detailed.php?item=57936" target="blank">Rush Hour</a>, or any other online store of your choice and are giddily typing in your credit card number right now?<br /><br />Yeah, I know I'm totally talking to myself at this point, but if I thought that you were still reading this I'd probably want to gush about how this compilation is a loving tribute to Nigeria's Second Republic of 1979-83--a period when the country was still riding the highs of the oil boom and the music industry expanded exponentially, attracting some of the finest musicians from across the African continent, and about the lush, celebratory music they produced.<br /><br />If you were still here, I'd mention that this all is explored in a big, 80-page magazine-stye booklet full of rare photos and vintage advertisements illustrating the prosperous, almost decadent zeitgeist of the era. Hell, I might even drop a few sample pages:<br /><br /><table><tbody><tr><td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxlroMWwMHxnDtswnH9q7QF5zdx6JLqD6o8OAhR8dKLwHLqfl7e6IAk2p4aAB2qrr-s1HNJVhh20qy4G3cjEStfFgBbWoLA3nzzakBmtB44c2JX7QPI_VlBhXYSj_TBWFj59UkwQ/s400/Picture+3.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608239290604598210" border="0" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrHsVbumXRMEZTAmHRAUrSzAjDp17fQmCWUjzhWaZ5_LAiisOzpTM9HVcPXlhxV4mceRb_joZZHhueCTqIYn1e77nSNE0MRcjGIwKnKV6ksxJJEy7-TeFjqdl2AfGW-KCvJNVeg/s400/Picture+4.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608239291758331794" border="0" /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table><tbody><tr><td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKwdVyii1KG3VDg_cT98q9Uypk5jfvEqnEFORED8rsEHm4UHId4d0VxoKfhyQeyZPXitA6e4vYzlZSlBzSiVlOi9n9dFF2gpzoaktwtMF0d8mzl7o_hKnlV6Ki1hxU4d0PluTBg/s400/Picture+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608239279053728370" border="0" /></td><td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge71W_MIoDu1GLuhEiYSWm71Tg-lL0Lk-ngeAESRbqJ0jqHrLUmFBvod3Ad-tUpEIdH-jVFLXtPxpzmejLzHvIp7GY8etxfgYLB8Ngf3DQU8GL3U0yNt8jfTK9AnsUkLzBin2J1g/s400/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608239277681382498" border="0" /></td></tr></tbody></table><table><tbody><tr><td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM6pTsZ5FVzC2aVSwsy1LsWAeTrAhxJ1nWtNe2UdyncluBKGtrdmt95_-y79rCd5iKU_nGsexJXeAqn9tOX_R27OC4z4Z3ttrRbFeO4F3kxVR7Qf2tyNe5Rz5-0D9BXO63Qk5B1A/s400/Picture+5.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608239298409328274" border="0" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKhb64v2xjr8cIDUPGCh4gqyr9b-RFDwYzBvpe8DK2R0E0bxfg01D6ftVnQDrDAYGIVAxQB9efMV0vFJPUIOfpOSgvpeptgWPTghkOh1_cOb9Su-gbjxP6y0ZF27SzxZYM22O9w/s400/Picture+6.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608239860725888498" border="0" /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table><tbody><tr><td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5_CFzX39PxXTWV21U3W9I_o5IX9J0mvdv5t862FQjueXS03fgZDXqSprEsY_qQUOTWXxdHLkIIKsCzSebbQoMzxm8DOml2gciwL8yoDxouZslZddiAYzvxOiSTQOPU6t3B9K1A/s400/Picture+7.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608239870161886178" border="0" /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-e8BrLcqotA2bJmAsj7IpJA3Z7ZBaOKxU0_iGlPx23-BLpOuvGKzNga9m25kgpbzDsr7XOZX94_rXBJb_b8kOiLtejrAN-TD0PyMYeSDUDwLDDD2_PIFW0rUsDjV83IOB1LH2Dw/s400/Picture+10.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608239881084098738" border="0" /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />But you're already gone, so there's really no need for me to go blathering about any of that stuff. You'll have to find out for yourself when you get your copy!<br /><br />Even though you're not here now, I'll tell you where you <i>should</i> be this Saturday night, May 21st... You should be at Zebulon at 258 Wythe Ave. in Brooklyn for the <b>BRAND NEW WAYO release party</b> featuring yours truly spinning alongside the legendary <b>DJ Frank Gossner</b> of <a href="http://voodoofunk.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Voodoo Funk</a> fame!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYu2eaY-aqTXC6Pd4t4lJ9RHWwEZtS9yQs6N637Pc2ONKElKmIoLULQQ4gfwyivHzqntLhRJkQWCY87GfmYR6YU9kYu04H0dehbWu0HP3NSvyR-I_gymLC66mZQU5RjSIlrPH46Q/s1600/May21st.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYu2eaY-aqTXC6Pd4t4lJ9RHWwEZtS9yQs6N637Pc2ONKElKmIoLULQQ4gfwyivHzqntLhRJkQWCY87GfmYR6YU9kYu04H0dehbWu0HP3NSvyR-I_gymLC66mZQU5RjSIlrPH46Q/s400/May21st.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608251835708691010" border="0" /></a><br />As I'm sure you are well aware, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40885541/ns/us_news-life/t/end-days-may-believers-enter-final-stretch/" target="blank">Jesus is scheduled to return this Saturday</a>, so if this is going to be our last night together, why don't we spend it getting down to some bad-ass African boogie funk, disco and modern soul?<br /><br />Alas... I feel like the Rapture has occurred already because here I am all alone, while all you gentle readers have mysteriously disappeared into thin air! But at least I know that you've just rushed off to get your <b>BRAND NEW WAYO</b>... and unlike the Rapture, which will be followed by five months of torment for those left behind, you're looking forward to enjoying endless hours of fun(k)!<br /><br />*Oh yes, I almost forgot: Frank and I will be featured on WNYU's <a href="http://wnyu.org/2008-11-21_adowntownaffair" target="blank">A Downtown Affair</a> on Friday night. Check it out!Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-72361630524663311842011-05-17T12:15:00.003-05:002011-05-17T13:20:23.804-05:00Truth crushed to earth will rise again<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEqQeCkn4-XNBkIxyQjgtTUAqBgfMvBZ-yc251RNKmOiROKSS4I1oWE4fFR87WsWpMxDUjBdaKbnhGuHGTuXTx5BFx2X65gmozqSL5eZ9ZLBwe4kTp9kOVYhyLT4j8hLymv7dQw/s1600/CR+logo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 335px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEqQeCkn4-XNBkIxyQjgtTUAqBgfMvBZ-yc251RNKmOiROKSS4I1oWE4fFR87WsWpMxDUjBdaKbnhGuHGTuXTx5BFx2X65gmozqSL5eZ9ZLBwe4kTp9kOVYhyLT4j8hLymv7dQw/s400/CR+logo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607751504940852434" /></a><br />And because Comb & Razor is the truth (and I mean the whole and the nothing-but): STILL WE RISE!<br /><br />Okay, I'm getting some Maya Angelou in my William Cullen Bryant, but I'm pretty sure you all get the gist of it: We're back!<br /><br />Why did we go away in the first place, though? Man... I can't even give you a straight answer. Life catches up with you sometimes. As you all know, I had just returned from an extended sojourn in Nigeria and there were a lot of odds and ends in my personal life that had to be attended to. Also, a few experiences I had in Nigeria made me feel ambivalent about continuing to do this. <br /><br />(For example, if you look through the archives here, you might notice all posts on a certain Mr. William Onyeabor have been crossed out. There is a reason for that. I won't get into details right now but let's just say that that man damn near killed my spirit.)<br /><br />Actually, you might have noticed that pretty much ALL the old links on this blog are now dead. That's a bummer, I know... I had some trouble renewing my hosting subscription while I was away so my service was interrupted, pulling the plug on all the links. That was a big part of why I stepped away, really... The idea of renewing all the links was just overwhelming and I contemplated just starting the blog from scratch somewhere else.<br /><br />But hey... this page is home. This is where we've had so many good times, and I'm not going to be chased out of here <i>that</i> easily! So pardon the dust while I try to get things back to shape around here... You might have to bear with some Divshare links for a while (if they stop suspending my account, that is!). <br /><br />Of course, another reason for the long hiatus is that I've just been busy. Among other things, my time has been taken up by my decision to throw my hat into the record industry. (Which I am sure we will all agree was a very wise move to make now in the second decade of the twenty-first century, as the imminent death of the industry is forecast on a daily basis. I'm having fun, though!) So although I am sure most of you are already aware of it, allow me formally debut my fine record label, <b>COMB & RAZOR SOUND.</b><br /><br />I'm quite aware that fewer and fewer people these days buy records or CD or any other kind of physical media, but the goal of Comb & Razor Sound is to create packages that hopefully you will feel are worthy of your hard-earned pfennig. I'm talking about dope music, packaged with loads of information and photos and other stuff related to the world that produced the music you're listening to. I'm talking about stuff you can put on your shelf or display on your coffee table so you can look all cultured in front of your friends.<br /><br />We already did a vinyl-only "pre-release" of sorts on the first compilation but it comes out officially on... <i>*looks at calendar*</i> Wait a minute... It comes out on May 17th. That's <b>today,</b> isn't it? How serendipitous is <b>that?</b><br /><br />You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to make a separate post about that in a little bit...<br /><br />In the meantime, enjoy this video I uploaded like six months ago and planned to post before everything went pear-shaped:<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PdNU6vnxVTo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-55347873460293263722010-08-20T05:28:00.013-05:002010-08-20T15:25:19.757-05:00Check it, I'm blowing up on Facebook.I'm a private person, so I have no interest in throwing wide the gates on my personal life, supplying the world with that much-needed minute-to-minute update on my mood and ephemeral thoughts or announcing the details of my lunch. As such, while I've been an early adopter of pretty much all the social networking sites as they've come out, I've generally had little use for them beyond keeping in touch with (while still maintaining a respectable distance from) a few high school friends and Internet acquaintances and occasionally trading a few yucks while watching award shows or some other trivial mess on TV.<br /><br />I never understood the speculation that these sites would eventually become the future of all communication, eventually supplanting email, newspapers, magazines, blogs and even the more intelligent message boards; in fact, I actively resented such an idea. I still smh at the thought that something like a well-articulated, multi-dimensional album review could so easily become superfluous and obsolete amidst a torrent of hastily-ejaculated, 150-character blurbs.<br /><br />(Wait... Did I just type "smh"?)<br /><br />But on the real... I'm starting to get the appeal. Through a somewhat serendipitous series of events, my Facebook page has over the past few days become a rather exciting hotbed of activity. Short version: I posted a few <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6870045&id=591560796&saved#!/album.php?aid=252690&id=591560796&page=2" target="blank">vintage Nigerian music photos</a> as a lark, but the comments section on them soon went completely mad with all sorts of people posting memories and stories and with several veteran musicians like Tee Mac (AfroCollection, Tee Mac Connection), Jerri Jheto (The Mebusas, Ozziddi), Micro Mike (The Sunflowers and "The Black Mirrors"), Soga Benson and Skidd Ikemefuna (Grotto), Gboyega Adelaja and others chiming in to share interesting tales from their careers and commune with peers they've not spoken to in aeons.<br /><br />It's been a lot of fun and I have to admit that I'm almost tempted to give up on this blog and shift operations to Facebook fulltime (I said <i>"almost"</i>)! The only problem is that tending to the increased traffic on my Facebook account--processing an endless stream of new friend requests, moderating comments, replying to inquiries, tagging photos--has become pretty much a 24-hour job... At first I tried to herd it towards my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6870045&id=591560796#!/group.php?gid=94689707723&ref=ts" target="blank">Comb & Razor Sound group page</a> but I found that it took away some of the interactivity as Facebook (ridiculously) does not notify group members--or even the group admin--when content on group pages is updated.<br /><br />So I'd say just go to my (fairly impersonal) "personal" page and check out the "Random" album in the Photos tab, as well as the Videos tab where I have been posting some content as well. Also, scan the past few days' entries on the Wall as there have been some interesting discussions there, too. While I have tagged this post "shameless self-promotion," it's really not about that at all... I'm not trying to become a Facebook star or anything; I just feel there's been some pretty cool interaction going on there and I suspect some of you might want to join in.<br /><br />If I'm right in thinking this, then go to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=591560796#!/profile.php?id=591560796" target="blank">Comb Razor on Facebook.</a><br /><br /><br /><br />ps. I *might* soon be migrating this blog to Wordpress, so prepare to change your bookmarks, okay?Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-15860640974274641272010-08-13T06:10:00.003-05:002010-08-13T06:24:28.163-05:00C&R on PRISome of y'all might know that I wrote the liner notes for Soundway Records' <a href="http://www.soundwayrecords.com/catalogue/the-world-ends.html" target="blank"><i>The World Ends: Afro Rock and Psychedelia in 1970s Nigeria</i></a>. For that reason, Public Radio International's <i>Global Hit</i> program thought I might be a good person to chat with a little about the cultural context that informed the music.<br /><br />Listen <a href="http://www.theworld.org/2010/08/12/afro-rock/" target="blank">HERE.</a>Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-44792168842388694122010-08-06T01:49:00.004-05:002010-08-06T02:22:27.646-05:00Another Harry Mosco videoStill mega-busy, fam... Transmission will re-commence soon.<br /><br />In the meantime, check out this vid and enjoy the light-skinned gal's consistent overacting/dancing.<br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/q5ZuQKqo7YY&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/q5ZuQKqo7YY&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-24492700372416578792010-07-02T17:03:00.009-05:002010-09-12T06:56:28.348-05:00A couple of 1980s videos for the weekendI've been slacking on the blog lately partly because I've been busy working on <a href="http://www.nowagainrecords.com/a-prelude-of-sorts/" target="blank">Now Again Records' upcoming Nigerian fuzz funk compilation</a> and partly because I've been having trouble with my FTP since I've been back. The latter is also the reason my sparse updates have relied upon YouTube links, and I hope to resolve the issue soon and start getting some mp3s back up here. In the meantime, though, here are some more videos.<br /><br />While the blog was on hiatus during my sojourn in Nigeria, I received a number of emails from a particularly insistent reader who wanted to me post the music videos of the 1980s kiddie-pop star, <a href="http://combandrazor.blogspot.com/2007/11/now-i-know-my-naija-80s-babies-gonna.html" target="blank">Yvonne Maha.</a> Now as I've mentioned a few times in the past, it is nigh impossible to find pre-1990 music videos in Nigeria because at most television stations, if the humongous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umatic" target="blank">U-matic</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadruplex_videotape" target="blank">Quad</a> tapes on which they were stored that were not dubbed over with new content, they were thrown out wholesale to make room for new hardware. So I made no promises to find these videos, but I pledged to do my best.<br /><br />As it turns out, the best I could do was to unearth this clip of Yvonne Maha appearing on <i>The Bala Miller Show</i> in 1983. I'd like to think that this also will at least partially please my girl Kelechi who requested some Bala Miller. (Don't worry, Kay; I'll be putting up some more Miller stuff a little later.)<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pq_3M9om0D4&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pq_3M9om0D4&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Also, here is a 1981 promo (that's what we called music videos way back in the day) for Harry "Mr. Funkees" Mosco's <i>Sugar Cane Baby,</i> during his <a href="http://combandrazor.blogspot.com/2007/11/on-quincy-jones-of-nigeria-woman.html" target="blank">London period.</a> The color's a bit messed up but that's because whoever digitized it didn't adjust the hue. It's still fun to watch, especially for its evocation of that innocent era when the music video was such a new invention and most performers had no inkling of how to comport their bodies or their faces in them. I mean, look at Harry's awkward shuffling, the band's hammy pretend-playing and the unabashed scenery chewing by the light-skinneded singer gal! I swear, she did that in all the videos Harry shot for this album (I remember there being three or four of them), even the ballad!<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WaUdbBY2ZC0&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WaUdbBY2ZC0&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-70663510838574532302010-06-19T17:01:00.004-05:002010-06-19T19:57:37.402-05:00One Pound No BalanceIt appears a lot of people enjoyed the clip from "The Stephen Osita Osadebe Show" I posted last week and want to see more.* <br /><br />So here's some more.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hZkj_h7UUP4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hZkj_h7UUP4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />I'm still posting these short clips on YouTube just for the sake of continuity (plus, somewhere deep down inside I probably want to be a YouTube star) but I'll soon start putting up longer versions on Dailymotion.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">*What I found interesting though is that the clip of the much more obscure Golden Sounds I uploaded to YouTube on the same day has received well over two times the number of views of the Osadebe video--thanks probably to the World Cup-fueled renewed interest in "Zangalewa"/"Waka Waka." I really hope the Golden Sounds can harness this attention into a strong comeback!</span></span>Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-54108847553045144692010-06-13T23:23:00.013-05:002010-06-20T08:56:00.258-05:00Africa's true anthem?I realize that it's been out for a while now but I heard Shakira's World Cup song "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" for the first time just the other day when she performed it at the kick-off concert.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/X6ZxikBM-Pg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/X6ZxikBM-Pg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />While I usually like Shakira, I found this song to be pretty bland. But then again, that's probably exactly what you want from a would-be international anthem of this sort: enough of a catchy melody to stick in the world's collective memory but ultimately featureless enough that people of all nationalities, colors and creeds can project themselves into it.<br /><br />What I found interesting about it was that the catchy part was an adaptation of a makossa song I remembered well from my youth: "Zangalewa," by the perennial Cameroonian national band, The Golden Sounds:<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LHV7gmT5m8I&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LHV7gmT5m8I&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />(The part Shakira bites occurs at 7:33, by the way)<br /><br />I really didn't know anything about The Golden Sounds when the song was first released in 1986--I'm not sure I even realized they were Cameroonian at the time. (What I really remember is the video activating my long-running interest in the history of minstrel-style comedy in Africa.) I didn't understand the Fang lyrics, so I had no idea they were singing about rowdy army recruits in colonial-era Cameroons and I don't think most Nigerian kids did either as they sang that <i>zamina mina</i> refrain as a stepping cadence during school march-past exhibitions and sporting events.<br /><br />We definitely didn't know the extent to which the song had become a sensation all across the continent and even beyond, as it quickly became something of a standard on the <i>champeta</i> circuit and other African music-influenced scenes in Shakira's native Colombia. In 1988, it became a merengue hit when the all-female Las Chicas del Can from the Dominican Republic revamped it as "El Negro No Puede": <br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aBCmbchNqRI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aBCmbchNqRI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> <br /><br />Las Chicas' "El Negro No Puede" seems to have directly inspired 1989's "El Negro No Puede (Waka Waka)" by the Dutch-Surinamese group Trafassi <br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DgAPIWAU4zA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DgAPIWAU4zA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />and then you have the version by Dutch-Surinamese Beatmachine (featuring Trafassi's Edgar "Bugru" Burgos)<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/u6kb6nfR5h0&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/u6kb6nfR5h0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />But while "Zangalewa" continues to exert its influence across South America, it's far from forgotten back home in Africa, as demonstrated by "Zamouna" from 2008, by Didier Awadi of the pioneering Senegalese hip-hop group Positive Black Soul:<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-ilxu2I68Jg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-ilxu2I68Jg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Of course, I am far from the first to break the story behind "Waka Waka"; in fact, since Shakira's record dropped there's been a mini-<a ref="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wimoweh" target="blank"><i>Wimoweh</i></a>-style shitstorm surrounding the song and the credit/royalties owed to the Golden Sounds. Apparently, steps are being taken to compensate the Sounds and the publicity has spurred the band (who disbanded, I think, in the early 2000s) to start contemplating a comeback. This is particularly good news to me, because underneath the buffoonery they <i>were</i> a pretty wicked performing outfit, as seen here in this snippet from their set at FESTAC '77 in Lagos: <br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0r3iC4ukigc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0r3iC4ukigc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />What the whole "Waka Waka" story really leaves me thinking about, though, is the possibility that "Zangalewa" could be the most influential modern pop song from Africa, and more so than the oft-cited <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4137879.stm" target="blank">"Sweet Mother"</a>, it might be the <i>true</i> anthem of Africa. Which makes it all the more fitting that Shakira evoked it for this momentous event of the World Cup holding in Africa, doesn't it?<br /><br />Yep... This time's for Africa!Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-20481908068755579142010-06-11T12:11:00.008-05:002010-06-11T17:50:18.616-05:00The Stephen Osita Osadebe Show - "Osondi Owendi"It's extremely rare to encounter live performance footage of Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe because like many musicians of his generation he guarded his music and his image jealously. He turned down most invitations to play on television and demanded exorbitant sums for the rights to film him in performance. However, in the early 1980s NTA 10 Lagos finally convinced the Doctor of Hypertension to do a weekly television half-hour show. <br /><br />The program took the format of a live-in-studio Osadebe concert--no skits, no guest stars, no interviews, no chit-chat, no frills. Osadebe and the band would just perform two or three songs straight. The only variation would be when Chief would step off stage to let one of the other band members lead while he danced in the wings.<br /><br />Here is an early rendition of the now-classic "Osondi Owendi." It's actually a bit longer than this but I had to get it to fit in at under 10 minutes in order to upload it on YouTube.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nTnuC9mU7Rw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nTnuC9mU7Rw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-41517075739003711192010-02-09T15:42:00.010-05:002010-02-09T16:26:59.894-05:00HiWould you believe me if I told you that the reason this page hasn't been updated in, oh, half a year is because I forgot my Blogger password?<br /><br />It's actually true, you know... I've tried logging in several times over the past few months but I lost my key to my own blog and I eventually had to reset my Google password, which was no easy feat! But here I am... Feels a bit weird though; it's been like forever, hasn't it?<br /><br />Anyway, I appreciate all the emails expressing curiosity, concern and even anger at my absence. I've been a bit busy so I haven't been able to reply all of them, but for those of you who didn't know, I've been in Nigeria for a while now doing some of this<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcq7W9NggnWlCNnwQ25ucZZl1qgKCR1d7E_rdGFuU2R58gB14y1krj-6YyIgRPGBhnlVxyA390CW-Eq7XvGEQTcF4IOQDUArngoQiKQ_QX6bWwntjFIrL9vqlq_rskctqitlYX7A/s1600-h/dggl.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcq7W9NggnWlCNnwQ25ucZZl1qgKCR1d7E_rdGFuU2R58gB14y1krj-6YyIgRPGBhnlVxyA390CW-Eq7XvGEQTcF4IOQDUArngoQiKQ_QX6bWwntjFIrL9vqlq_rskctqitlYX7A/s320/dggl.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436347132457442770" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-agdg4EXk0eLrDw3JHw1wsLbSq9p0d5ZiejhMURfd65aIx09MuvQiFY5rRJecoXFy_BRp55fXtlZMWZEIitpW0Ld31jWNwF-R1NUoo-rBSl2ZkC6OSL75-Bpknr5UFgOMuy5ng/s1600-h/ckkn.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-agdg4EXk0eLrDw3JHw1wsLbSq9p0d5ZiejhMURfd65aIx09MuvQiFY5rRJecoXFy_BRp55fXtlZMWZEIitpW0Ld31jWNwF-R1NUoo-rBSl2ZkC6OSL75-Bpknr5UFgOMuy5ng/s320/ckkn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436347512465190354" /></a><br /><br />And this<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbKNmf-HOrNitZEXLwcYTkqrgx33CEAQIM7_QXspegJnZI1hoCFIox5CUN5_I8z7C5qfam-DU8__3a8o8uTFdotL2vR2xqtZKfed0IwkBIj4dMz8xjmG0IworrbDZUMukVURBQA/s1600-h/DSC_0079.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbKNmf-HOrNitZEXLwcYTkqrgx33CEAQIM7_QXspegJnZI1hoCFIox5CUN5_I8z7C5qfam-DU8__3a8o8uTFdotL2vR2xqtZKfed0IwkBIj4dMz8xjmG0IworrbDZUMukVURBQA/s320/DSC_0079.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436358200788371810" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpS69ty8DpRYNexwFb8EBcUuwcnhSMJKOPSh8cu8zSs5sz5jwCqfn7HRuYZhJ2Hppo3jd_zY_CiMbFgQ0Isa2KTAoPiaJaOID-Yb24pr-XzgmyFliXnWdNSI5GM3LFeE8kN5ZNMQ/s1600-h/DSC_0106.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpS69ty8DpRYNexwFb8EBcUuwcnhSMJKOPSh8cu8zSs5sz5jwCqfn7HRuYZhJ2Hppo3jd_zY_CiMbFgQ0Isa2KTAoPiaJaOID-Yb24pr-XzgmyFliXnWdNSI5GM3LFeE8kN5ZNMQ/s320/DSC_0106.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436356061053934946" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5ESB2ZcCH6WDUkO_qBLdoprt2S6YjG9grj5o_rLnSCo_3Ea9UBixbyH2Bmc8pvf67oe31itAiFLdlagk_Ct53pIAWI4RMdmA0B4ZwxZCdO-ftAx-jeQU_HGgHS7ghW_LznEwKg/s1600-h/DSC_0107.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5ESB2ZcCH6WDUkO_qBLdoprt2S6YjG9grj5o_rLnSCo_3Ea9UBixbyH2Bmc8pvf67oe31itAiFLdlagk_Ct53pIAWI4RMdmA0B4ZwxZCdO-ftAx-jeQU_HGgHS7ghW_LznEwKg/s320/DSC_0107.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436348552380993634" /></a><br /><br />And a whole bunch of other stuff I'll tell you about later... Hopefully things will get pretty interesting around With Comb & Razorville in the next few months. Look for the blog to reactivate sometime in March; I need to get my act together a bit.<br /><br />In the meantime, give me a shout in the comments if you care to... I miss interacting with you all!<br /><br />(er... That's if my readership has not altogether evaporated by now...)Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com77tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-91439381495020937232009-08-14T17:46:00.006-05:002009-08-14T20:09:15.369-05:00The Roots of Nigerian Rap!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonKc9bM7-lIdCi3G9mT9RwOP9AjyYrHuW-2gfm4UOD6VlN5bzbZqrVK7E_39apGQ4rupBf1VJojVyOzlepyoAc-81qwoG0QlnAkf7aJSVLOc3766_6NTXEDUj_IypARrX8WJUxQ/s1600-h/hhsos.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonKc9bM7-lIdCi3G9mT9RwOP9AjyYrHuW-2gfm4UOD6VlN5bzbZqrVK7E_39apGQ4rupBf1VJojVyOzlepyoAc-81qwoG0QlnAkf7aJSVLOc3766_6NTXEDUj_IypARrX8WJUxQ/s400/hhsos.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369984618952183762" /></a><br />Imagine the imagination of one useless small boy the other day... Just because I said that I'm not feeling most of the contemporary hip-hop coming out of Nigeria right now (though I'm happy for its success), this guy had the audacity to tell me that I just don't <i>understand</i> hip-hop and I need to take the time to go and study the history of the music and culture! <br /><br />My guy... I was repping hip-hop in Naija before most of these kids out there were even a warm glow spreading across their dad's groin region. And I should mention that this was <i>way</i> before rappin' was by any stretch considered "cool" in Nigeria. Yo, where's my man Deinma? Where's Koko? Molo, do you hear me? Remember how we were ridiculed by our peers? Remember how when we would bust rhymes in the staircase, everybody thought we were stupid (and not stupid fresh)? Remember when the verb "rapping" because synonymous with talking idiotic nonsense? Remember how they told us that rap was a passing fad that went out with breakdancing and that we were just too retarded to see that it wasn't going to last?<br /><br />Ha! Who's laughing NOW, suckers?<br /><br />Today in Nigeria, hip-hop is the music that revitalized the country's near-moribund music scene and is considered "the voice of the generation" but I want to give props to the <i>first</i> generation of Nigerian hip-hoppers who built this city. So me and my peeps at AfricanHiphop.com have collaborated on this lesson on the first decade of rap music in Nigeria.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.africanhiphop.com/africanhiphopradio/naija-nigerian-80s-rap-on-vinyl/" target="blank">CHECK IT OUT HERE. CLASS IS IN SESSION.</a><br /><br />(Big ups to my girl Ivory Dome, by the way)Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-6608528675347481052009-07-30T00:29:00.001-05:002009-07-30T00:34:20.318-05:00MJ love Suzuki<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/g3bjqcceU5Q&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/g3bjqcceU5Q&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4Zo4kW9bjTU&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4Zo4kW9bjTU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cQCofKR_lNo&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cQCofKR_lNo&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />What was up with the odd double-wink, though?Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-83566875138939838782009-07-05T18:03:00.001-05:002009-07-05T19:48:03.380-05:00Two mixes for Sunday night<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lsfs4XNV9SSJQaPhs2D9PNBjBS0XQR2wbXPyz9uaYCQQVOHaiibU1c01XzVooqxZ1PI4up6xSwLSN_LkeRvuPELlTQShcxhd5yYOavBwyOYwaryqi_922R22UVapwUu4o3xGUw/s1600-h/Ben.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lsfs4XNV9SSJQaPhs2D9PNBjBS0XQR2wbXPyz9uaYCQQVOHaiibU1c01XzVooqxZ1PI4up6xSwLSN_LkeRvuPELlTQShcxhd5yYOavBwyOYwaryqi_922R22UVapwUu4o3xGUw/s400/Ben.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355138529723362770" /></a><br /><br />On the real, I haven't felt much like writing anything since, y'know... the whole thing with MJ and everything, but I just thought I'd share this great mix of J5 and early Michael solo stuff, courtesy of DJ Jaycee (who I don't know, but someone sent this mix to me on the day the news broke, and it kinda got me over).<br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.comb-and-razor.com/Sounds1/Michael%20and%20me/01%20Michael%20Jackson_%20%234294F6.mp3" target="blank"><b>DJ Jaycee presents <i>Michael Jackson: The Soulful Years</i></b></a><br /><br />1. Intro<br />2. Sugar Daddy<br />3. ABC (Jaycee's '86 Ultrasound Mix)<br />4. It's Great To Be Here<br />5. Jaycee Wants You Back<br />6. My Girl<br />7. I Wanna Be Where You Are<br />8. Dancing Machine<br />9. Dance In Peace Dilla! (Detroit Style)<br />10. Mama's Pearl<br />11. The Boogie Man Interlude<br />12. Can You Remember<br />13. Ready Or Not (Here I Come)<br />14. Never Can Say Goodbye<br />15. If I Don't Love You This Way<br />16. I'll Be There<br />17. My Cherie Amour<br />18. I Don't Know Why I Love You<br />19. Born To Love You<br />20. Don't Say Good Bye Again<br />21. The Love You Save<br />22. Ben<br />23. All I Do Is Think Of You<br />24. I Am Love Ft. Jermaine<br />25. Call On Me<br />26. Ain't No Sunshine<br />27. Dear Michael<br />28. Everybody's Somebody's Fool<br />29. Got To Be There<br />30. Maybe Tomorrow<br />31. La La La (Means I Love You)<br />32. People Make The World Go Round<br />33. With A Child's Heart<br />34. What Up Khrysis<br />35. 2-4-6-8<br />36. Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing<br />37. If I Have To Move A Mountain<br /></span></blockquote><br />If mourning Mike ain't your bag (or even if it is), I suggest you check out this wicked selection of Nigerian rock and funk by old friend Obafunkie jR, courtesy of new friend Mr. Wonderful of the Nuts to Soup podcast:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nutstosoup.com/podcasts/38-podcast-episodes/98-made-in-naija-obafunkie-jr.html" target="blank">NUTS TO SOUP presents OBA TI DE (THE KING HAS ARRIVED)</a><br /><br />As can be expected from Obafunkie, it's some nice stuff!Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-33964857737405669042009-07-04T18:33:00.000-05:002009-07-04T23:18:37.456-05:00Everybody wanna be like Mike<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwjZVobGQXZ0J4jNtWDM0svSKcNtnD2moGePTFuaw2CsTOjO4L4KzQ39375B6cjsEITgI4KFzWU0G4MB1BG1_qmNl9ordqI8fPIadPRsztLYIqmVR1N037AJUL0vwO4RVnzeNxQ/s1600-h/chrid+mba.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 202px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwjZVobGQXZ0J4jNtWDM0svSKcNtnD2moGePTFuaw2CsTOjO4L4KzQ39375B6cjsEITgI4KFzWU0G4MB1BG1_qmNl9ordqI8fPIadPRsztLYIqmVR1N037AJUL0vwO4RVnzeNxQ/s400/chrid+mba.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352471253350708482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGxZa7D9M3IlIE7x5drSqQtMjCg9DJX0QYSHHoGwZVuCNZDY64ZFTQ1kailNluBrS4VBh7pP7AAEWtWishWz-aPs-N-iNy5QbLE32nxSO5CwI7PDAzwmuBegihKgM8FmyXrWNww/s1600-h/emma_girl.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 397px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGxZa7D9M3IlIE7x5drSqQtMjCg9DJX0QYSHHoGwZVuCNZDY64ZFTQ1kailNluBrS4VBh7pP7AAEWtWishWz-aPs-N-iNy5QbLE32nxSO5CwI7PDAzwmuBegihKgM8FmyXrWNww/s400/emma_girl.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352471472736745346" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstRJJYxC8eSrHwY8qPLZ8X1pF18xZ7JB9Rigu9Qhn8wpKR62B2elsMsa6m_f-8vZ0xIrRo4p8uMw0jqBqFmBEBbI70w9s8pa5YN6eCqYKTeQjyZUFY2cohzKLNsXBEqT9U9Z0aw/s1600-h/moses+jackson+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 392px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstRJJYxC8eSrHwY8qPLZ8X1pF18xZ7JB9Rigu9Qhn8wpKR62B2elsMsa6m_f-8vZ0xIrRo4p8uMw0jqBqFmBEBbI70w9s8pa5YN6eCqYKTeQjyZUFY2cohzKLNsXBEqT9U9Z0aw/s400/moses+jackson+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351424625511806066" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryg4-eGMsWnjBiTUFRjx9ymoGWKqrL0uObnrcKBPrEE6SmIYLVk17qy92vypspY8lRlu6A7vySEzyCxaW4VbUTNA6-EhJC5iFrpsrP3nLOc4mp4lhuNc5g9xvYv5IWglyudrAug/s1600-h/kiki+gyan_+feelin+alright.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 391px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryg4-eGMsWnjBiTUFRjx9ymoGWKqrL0uObnrcKBPrEE6SmIYLVk17qy92vypspY8lRlu6A7vySEzyCxaW4VbUTNA6-EhJC5iFrpsrP3nLOc4mp4lhuNc5g9xvYv5IWglyudrAug/s400/kiki+gyan_+feelin+alright.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351436224734620674" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbnyySuWnfHKUEZvr4Y5QBC4nlfGLPDUH3CZOQYv9pJYZ-TdwXslB0b8x62iKEATccoIr5M-fDLrgoWSZP68-HshPtPhT4txzwEos98R2bj68F7BYMMfBR-AETBJ6K2W-hwm6rw/s1600-h/michael+eborson.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 396px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbnyySuWnfHKUEZvr4Y5QBC4nlfGLPDUH3CZOQYv9pJYZ-TdwXslB0b8x62iKEATccoIr5M-fDLrgoWSZP68-HshPtPhT4txzwEos98R2bj68F7BYMMfBR-AETBJ6K2W-hwm6rw/s400/michael+eborson.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351428170476762306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2TgyxiAzsBXoKAQi5yCungvIeje6OBIO5zFAN0WBdvei3jHh9VNwsdUzJ_3SJ8drjqcKo3RL3wuf26CP4ZuzUZ1uxMtZj4SeIcIiWk2tmICShsfiv9_7RE9KSNYBzfwqUgtgeQ/s1600-h/okotie_don't+go_back.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 398px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2TgyxiAzsBXoKAQi5yCungvIeje6OBIO5zFAN0WBdvei3jHh9VNwsdUzJ_3SJ8drjqcKo3RL3wuf26CP4ZuzUZ1uxMtZj4SeIcIiWk2tmICShsfiv9_7RE9KSNYBzfwqUgtgeQ/s400/okotie_don't+go_back.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351423722020399602" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYf8J1r0YIkOCOEee_3nG_rRMEQbAC9g-MmLbvVzOw-WwLd3T8ott2jH7ag6rvrx3P9e1oqzQzjKHjiDodKm4JM54Q0-RBvlMXqsg_01ryDq0sc4fuDN4J7-ayzcBEmS3u7MtETg/s1600-h/chris_mba_love+everlasting+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 384px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYf8J1r0YIkOCOEee_3nG_rRMEQbAC9g-MmLbvVzOw-WwLd3T8ott2jH7ag6rvrx3P9e1oqzQzjKHjiDodKm4JM54Q0-RBvlMXqsg_01ryDq0sc4fuDN4J7-ayzcBEmS3u7MtETg/s400/chris_mba_love+everlasting+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351417383348847234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgo9tQCBhPF1qSqXuPrRYa_2A32SC1ebEqPljqDRMp0T7uqFOdrycx4t5EUvz3turSKArBBX2VhxcHyk6s60e5jxZfw5Sy92ODFNkWkvvi2QpQRb6ROPBsvr9ws7ZRaC72AI0jQ/s1600-h/Jeffrey+Bon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 355px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgo9tQCBhPF1qSqXuPrRYa_2A32SC1ebEqPljqDRMp0T7uqFOdrycx4t5EUvz3turSKArBBX2VhxcHyk6s60e5jxZfw5Sy92ODFNkWkvvi2QpQRb6ROPBsvr9ws7ZRaC72AI0jQ/s400/Jeffrey+Bon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351412557504584322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKJGhQf19nA6Yc47unZ-vN_tD98lkODOEsDFqrFQ3NZwq98TNGRM9UQBk9LvYzABBv8YEHLLupr-Yop65reCATZUvDpXsnMnP_RNZPdKtDSXtk5xGl_b7v67RQTQN-2SJC9wz6w/s1600-h/gee_tagbas.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 389px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKJGhQf19nA6Yc47unZ-vN_tD98lkODOEsDFqrFQ3NZwq98TNGRM9UQBk9LvYzABBv8YEHLLupr-Yop65reCATZUvDpXsnMnP_RNZPdKtDSXtk5xGl_b7v67RQTQN-2SJC9wz6w/s400/gee_tagbas.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351419682166777522" /></a>Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-37984635325031080132009-06-25T17:27:00.006-05:002009-06-26T00:05:18.143-05:001958-2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmZ9TGdBOOUT9N94aT06olenszuLV8X3SpRlJO2fD7PZ9Xm14wx-8Og6u4u-IzSHiYQ4ps6vEnTX5HvwPAUwzZuoQClL9MQ4_R7M76TRuh2jfU9DIhUd8iBtMDF0eWXTD3mG0ZQw/s1600-h/mj_otw.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 367px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmZ9TGdBOOUT9N94aT06olenszuLV8X3SpRlJO2fD7PZ9Xm14wx-8Og6u4u-IzSHiYQ4ps6vEnTX5HvwPAUwzZuoQClL9MQ4_R7M76TRuh2jfU9DIhUd8iBtMDF0eWXTD3mG0ZQw/s400/mj_otw.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351395690082869586" /></a><br /><br />Damn man.<br /><br />I mean, just...<br /><br />Damn.<br /><br />A fuckin' era ends.<br /><br />Between Farrah Fawcett and now this, it's like today's the day that all the pop culture icons of my formative life are being snuffed before my eyes.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BLFMBaKMRgo&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BLFMBaKMRgo&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/K5zNtK-N5vw&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/K5zNtK-N5vw&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/snihdG1rE0Y&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/snihdG1rE0Y&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746300.post-82292080667957821062009-06-22T08:15:00.007-05:002009-06-22T09:16:10.218-05:00Journey to Luna<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1iIeq5b_H7oJGBNciPJcNxJ7uvSiHvzCNTV-UiuTenmeb9nzhaNdqQj_mZol4omN1n0hV8uKmSuB4CgrfgKm4N8U6XIBtVaRUoqKdTlQ374sFksCdIRDvNCfX4N9AvQftz-QLg/s1600-h/luna.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1iIeq5b_H7oJGBNciPJcNxJ7uvSiHvzCNTV-UiuTenmeb9nzhaNdqQj_mZol4omN1n0hV8uKmSuB4CgrfgKm4N8U6XIBtVaRUoqKdTlQ374sFksCdIRDvNCfX4N9AvQftz-QLg/s400/luna.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348157817050472178" /></a>The photo above was grabbed from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-SQH94Pifc" target="blank">this video</a> of Fela Ransome-Kuti performing at the famous Luna Nite Club in Calabar in 1971. I don't think I ever went to Luna; I was still in primary school during the club's glory days and even when I came of age, it wasn't really the kind of establishment I would frequent. For one thing, it was located in a slightly unsavory neck of the woods: the "Old Calabar" precinct that is now known as "Calabar South" and is today--as it was then--legendary for its rough characters. Among my middle-class stratum, we sometimes called this area "Target," a synecdoche referring to Target Street, one of the more rugged byways in that quarter of town. ("Target" was also an allusion to what an interloper might as well have his back wandering around that neighborhood after dark.) If someone owed you money or was messing with you, commissioning some thugs from "Target" to help you settle the score usually got the message across that you meant business. <br /><br />Calabar had a spectrum of nightspots, with Paradise City on Atekong Drive representing the more upscale end and something like Hotel de Moon Rock on Mount Zion Road as the seedier extreme, but Luna was somewhere in the middle: a pleasure pit where you could relax, drink your <a href="http://www.comb-and-razor.com/Sounds1/Luna/star.jpg" target="blank">Star</a> or your <a href="http://www.comb-and-razor.com/Sounds1/Luna/gulder.jpg" target="blank">Gulder</a> and maybe enjoy some bushmeat--be it the kind that's bound with twine, soaked in tangy sauce and served with roasted plantains, or the variety that you might take back to one of the "chalets" behind the club that could be rented for a 30-minute "short-time" term ("bushmeat" being the local slang for a young woman who is relatively unsophisticated culturally and thus, is presumed to be reasonably available sexually). <br /><br />If it was dancing you liked to dance, though, the big draw at Luna might have been the Anansa President, Bustic Kingsley Bassey, whose band was resident at the club for years.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhneYImCBMK0TbqepyjmmVkKC0yJf3Ahe545MFG4hq29atstXIrmA8u6mC-D-X0SkEGNRwrpZ5gd-o0bq-dD_AURYpc7C7IV041Dap3Gh73si1GNXA5JaqeGKRQyNVgb8pzW3f8Qg/s1600-h/anansa+(altered).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 316px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhneYImCBMK0TbqepyjmmVkKC0yJf3Ahe545MFG4hq29atstXIrmA8u6mC-D-X0SkEGNRwrpZ5gd-o0bq-dD_AURYpc7C7IV041Dap3Gh73si1GNXA5JaqeGKRQyNVgb8pzW3f8Qg/s320/anansa+(altered).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350140405327678066" /></a>Bustic (or Burstic, same pronunciation) was a local legend but never made much of a splash on a national level. Truthfully, he was a bit of a journeyman. While he undoubtedly delivered rousing shows on the Luna stage, I don't think he ever really developed a distinctive sound of his own. The records I have heard from the late 1960s and very early 70s, for instance, capture Bustic performing in a style very reminiscent of Rex Lawson's "New Calabar" danceband highlife.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.comb-and-razor.com/Sounds1/Luna/Ntinke%20Iko%20Edem.mp3" target="blank">Commissioner Burstic Kingsley Bassey and His Professional Pioneer Dance Band of Nigeria - "Ntinke Iko Edem"</a><br /><br />It would seem, though, that Fela's Luna performance left a significant impression on Bustic because shortly thereafter, he started calling himself the Chief Engineer and plying a heavily Fela-influenced afrobeat style, even mimicking the nuances of the Chief Priest's laid-back, delirious vocal style. <br /><br />The two tracks below are from the 1975 LP <i>Gossip,</i> when Bustic was still in his deep Fela phase. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.comb-and-razor.com/Sounds1/Luna/Journey%20to%20Luna.mp3" target="blank">Bustic Kingsley Bassey's Anansa Engineers - "Journey to Luna"</a><br /><a href="http://www.comb-and-razor.com/Sounds1/Luna/Allow%20Me%20Talk%20My%20Own.mp3" target="blank">Bustic Kingsley Bassey's Anansa Engineers - "Allow Me Talk My Own"</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9IuljoH_pqtV5fTCb0ghswg3X_qCV0Qjf-hNIEFFxSxhniae0zSCpPQikDE3vq7E4zfqXi0jEgHgEocbwPbAqc_er-E_fFPVc2S_9U_X_-jTG6SiOwf2Z2AB9KZf6ySZ0UPICQ/s1600-h/bustic_gossip.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 398px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9IuljoH_pqtV5fTCb0ghswg3X_qCV0Qjf-hNIEFFxSxhniae0zSCpPQikDE3vq7E4zfqXi0jEgHgEocbwPbAqc_er-E_fFPVc2S_9U_X_-jTG6SiOwf2Z2AB9KZf6ySZ0UPICQ/s400/bustic_gossip.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348296465361333650" /></a>Comb & Razorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11912912211584098914noreply@blogger.com10